The only thing left to do now is......
The only thing left to do now is......
The Mariners lost another game in heartbreaking fashion, a concerning trend that has really spanned the course of the season. Where do they go from here and how should we feel moving forward?
The Seattle Mariners lost another game in heartbreaking fashion on Monday night to the lowly Los Angeles Angels. The Angels, void of their two superstars clawed back in pesky fashion to defeat the Mariners 8-5 in yet another extra innings loss.
Seattle dropped out of a playoff spot for the first time in several weeks, sending tremors of doubt throughout the fan base as we approach the stretch run of the season. They really haven’t played particularly well in any aspect of the game, making it difficult to see where improvement is going to come from.
They haven’t pitched particularly well, as neither the starters nor the bullpen have been anything close to consistent. The offense isn’t nearly doing the job when they need to, despite the fact they continue to score runs. Hell, they squandered one of the best moments of the season AGAIN after Julio Rodríguez tied the game with a two-run blast to make him the 44th player in baseball history to join the 30/30 club.
So what are we supposed to do? The only thing we can do… believe.
A once somewhat corny slogan used by the 2021 Seattle Mariners was inspired by Manager Scott Servais and his love for Ted Lasso, a show I have quoted once or twice here at Sea Level.
This team has continually given us reasons to believe in them in each of the last three seasons.
2021 was a season mired in uninspiring performance until a group of plucky bullpen arms led one of the hardest charges in franchise history, resulting in a near miss of postseason baseball. They finished the season 90-72.
2022 was as disappointing of a first few months as one could possibly imagine. It wasn’t until a player who strictly goes by his first name burst onto the scene, along with a switch-hitting veteran that got every clutch hit imaginable. A 14-game win streak buoyed one of the best runs in franchise history, ending the drought with one swing of the bat.
The 2023 season has largely been a mix of the two seasons. They still have the resiliency, the fight, and the tenacity to get the job done.
It is perfectly reasonable to feel the doubts of the history of this franchise creeping in. They have been this fanbase to the test, toiling in mediocrity and underperformance for almost their entire existence.
But this isn’t the same old Seattle Mariners. They have a jaw-dropping superstar, an uber-consistent captain, and a rotation most organizations would kill for. This team wants it really bad, and we are right there with them.
As frustrating as they are, as annoyed as we can be with them, this team and this group of players are different. They just proved to us you could go from .500 to one of the best teams in baseball in the blink of an eye, so why doubt them now?
So yeah they have to play the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, and Los Angeles Dodgers as part of their finish to the season. But guess what? Those teams have to play the Seattle Mariners too.
Might as well just believe. GOMS.
